League Rules 2019. Chairmans Letter

As agreed at the Annual General Meeting in November the Management Board have taken responsibility for overhauling the Leagues Rules. Many hours have gone into the process with the aim of providing greater clarity and transparency.

The review of the rules has taken into account issues which arose during the 2018 season and has attempted to address them. This is the first time for many years that the rules have been looked at in their entirety.

Both the content and the order in which the rules are presented have been looked at in a bid to make them easier to understand and to follow.

Here is a summary of some of the main changes which come into force on February 1, 2019.

Player eligibility was an issue which led to many queries last season, particularly with regard to the last four games of the second team season.

The new Rule 19 specifies that any player who has played 10 or more first team league games by August 23rd, will be ineligible to play in the final four second team games of the season and no exceptions will be made.

It has been apparent in recent seasons that a number of first team players have transferred out of the league when they have found it difficult to settle at a club. To try and combat this we are introducing a new transfer category which will allow players to move between Bradford Premier League clubs and play first team cricket.

Under the Special Category, clubs can only sign a maximum of two players who have played first team cricket in the Bradford Premier League between April 27 and May 30, 2019. Special Category transfers end at 9pm on May 30th and no club can lose more than two players on a Special Category transfer.

The forfeiting of league matches will now see the offending club suffer a 20-point deduction for each of their teams while their opponents will receive the full 20 points (10 match points, 5 batting and 5 bowling points).

The Rule regarding ineligible players has been tightened up. Any team playing an ineligible player will have all the points they earned from the game removed and will have 10 points deducted for each ineligible player. In all cases, the opponents of a team playing an ineligible player will receive the maximum 20 points (10 match points, 5 batting and 5 bowling points).

To assist clubs to field full teams, a second category of Over 50s has been added to the Loan Player Rule.

Disciplinary procedure, Child Protection, Regulations for Junior cricketers in Open Age cricket and the league’s Privacy Policy have now been included within the rules rather than being presented as separate entities.

All Clubs (not just those with Junior Sections) must appoint a Club Welfare Officer (CWO), who must have a current Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) clearance (formerly known as Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check) through the ECB. Clearances through other sports or teaching, for example, are not valid for cricket. CWOs also need to attend two three-hour courses “Safe Hands Workshop for Club Welfare Officers” (formerly Time to Listen), and “Safeguarding & Protecting Children”. This is relevant to all clubs, even those who do not have an organised Junior Section; because they are likely to have players aged Under 18 in their teams and will play against juniors from other Clubs.

There is now greater detail of the procedures and range of punishments that are applied when there is a breach of league rules. The process for making a protest plus the conduct of hearings and appeals is provided in detail.

The Management Board is determined to uphold high standards of conduct and behaviour by players and clubs. The introduction of Rule 46 for Disrepute details the range of powers the league has for dealing with serious offences.

It is also important to celebrate success and the Annual Dinner is an opportunity to do that. The Management Board now requires all clubs to show their commitment to this important event on the league calendar, which this year is to be held in the new Banqueting Suite at Emerald Headingley on Friday November 15th and has increased the number of tickets each club must purchase from 4 to 5.